Timeslides
by Drushilla
Summary: The world ending was the best thing that could have happened to Emily. Building a new life in Alexandria with her friend Max. Trying to control her conflicting feelings for Daryl. But will the past come back to haunt her? And does Max have an agenda of her own?
1. The past

Max closed the door behind her and stood with her back to it. Rick nodded to her from behind the desk he was sitting at. Daryl stood by the window, looking out over his shoulder to the people of Alexandria going about their daily business. Max took a hesitant step into the room. Rick gave her a weak smile, "you wanted to see us?" he said, gesturing her to sit. Max sat down on the edge of the sofa in the middle of the room and straightened her clothes. When she looked up her eyes were grave.

"What I am about to tell you, you must swear to me that it will not leave this room. No one must hear of it, least of all Emily." Daryl turned his head and met her eye. "If she as much as senses that I have betrayed her trust, she will be gone from this place before we know it."

"Then why do it?" Daryl growled. Rick had leaned forward in his seat. Max let her eyes go from Daryl and rested them upon Ricks intrigued face.

"Because if I do not," she paused, "you may inadvertently drive her away anyway." Her eyes darting back to Daryl.

"We have no intention of driving her away." Rick said calmly, "Both of you have become valuable members of our community these last months." He paused and his eyes narrowed, "however, my job is and will always be the protection of our people. I currently count you and Emily amongst our people, but if you have information that I need in order to do my job,.."

"Wait," Max said, "Emily is no threat to you, nor am I. That is not why I am here."

"Then why are you here?" Daryl shifted.

"I know that she has started to count on a lot of these people as her own family, that she has grown close, closer to some than others." Max shot Daryl a look.

"And?"

"And," Max straightened her back, "She doesn't trust people easily. She seems to trust you."

"Funny way of showing it." Daryl huffed.

Rick ignored him, and focused on Max. "What is it you wanted to tell us?"

Max sighed. "I do not want to tell you anything. But I feel is must. If we are to remain here, if.." She let the words linger. Max brushed a hand over her eyes and took a breath.

"Emily was married before. Her husband was.. not a very nice guy. I guess you would call him a gangster. When I first met Emily, I was a prostitute." Rick raised an eyebrow. "Emily helped me get out. She managed to convince her husband to let me stay with them for a while. Her husband didn't like me. Maybe because I technically was the property of another gangster, and having me in the house was like hiding stolen goods. Stolen from people you really don't want to catch you stealing from them. Or maybe it was because Emily and I had grown very close. I don't really know. And I don't really care. Emily's husband wasn't what I would call gentle. I guess for a while she thought she could control him. Or at least manage him. But she was wrong. He had a room in his basement. It was like a torture chamber. I know he took her there. Sometimes alone, sometimes he brought one of his bodyguards along. Emily never spoke of what happened down there. She tried to leave, we both did, but he wouldn't let her go. And his reach was extensive." Max sighed.

"Emily was involved in the business. She was a sort of diplomat. She had great people skills. Could make friends wherever she went. Brokered peace treaties and trade deals. But she also made some enemies." Max paused.

"Go on" said Daryl. Max swallowed.

"She had a favorite bodyguard. There was always someone with her when she was out. This man, Arkady, was the closest thing you could come to a good man among them. I don't know if they had an affair or not, but they were very good friends. She trusted him more than any other. Emily had many contacts, and one day she receives information about a shipment arriving at the competing organization. A shipment of people. Enslaved women to work in their brothels." Rick draw breath audibly. "Emily and Arkady went out, without her husbands knowledge or consent. They stole the truck with the women in it. They drove it far away, to another town, where the police was not in the organizations pocket. And they set them free there. Then they went home."

"They should have known that that offence would not be taken lightly. Arkady went missing. About a week later his body was found in an ally. Strung up on a brick wall. Disemboweled. Yet Emily said nothing to her husband about what she and Arkady had done. He thought it to be just another step in the brewing war between the organizations."

There was a knock on the door. Rick blinked as if i had awoken from a daze. Max pressed her lips together as Daryl got up and went to the door. He opened it ajar and peered out. "They're back", Carol said from the other side of the door, "I think you will want to see this."

Upon exiting the building they saw a convoy of three cars driving through the gates into Alexandria. A large truck brought up the rear, and as the gates closed behind them, people jumped out and started unloading.

"We found a freaking warehouse almost untouched", said Sasha as Rick approached. She handed him a crate and leaned over the boot of one of the cars and extracted a large bag. "all kinds of stuff" she smiled, as she passed Max and Daryl who both hung back observing. Emily passed behind her carrying two laden backpacks. Daryl stood motionless for a moment before he followed her, grabbing one of the packs. She gave him a quizzical look as she released her grasp on the backpack. "Can't have you do all the heavy lifting." he growled. Emily didn't answer. They took the packs to their storage and handed them over to Olivia to be sorted.

They made their way back to the cars, meeting others carrying supplies. "only the truck left now", Sasha called after them. Max was still on the porch where they left her, looking at them with a blank expression on her face. "What's going on with her?" Emily whispered to Daryl as they passed. Daryl shrugged. Starting to unload the truck Emily hauled the last crate down, almost toppling under the weight of it. Daryl threw the bag he had slung over his shoulder, to the ground, and grabbed the crate. "I got it." Emily hissed. "I'll take it." was the only reply she got, as he lifted the crate away from her og set it on the ground to pick up the bag.

"what are you doing?" Emily asked. Daryl looked at her blankly. "Carrying stuff." he huffed, and bent to pick up the crate again.

"no, why are you being nice? It's weird" Daryl looked at the crate in his hands.

"I'm always nice." he said sarcastically.

"Fuck you", said Emily and walked off, not seeing the small smile that emerged in the corner of his mouth.

That night, as the light of the moon shone coldly down upon them, a few of them had gathered outside on the porch of Sasha's house. She was vividly recounting them finding the warehouse, and how with only one car, between the four of them, Emily had gone out alone to get more transport as the others packed supplies to bring back. After returning with one car, she disappeared again, and reappeared in another. As they had almost completed loading the cars, they noticed that Emily was gone again. They went back into the warehouse to look for her and emerging from a fruitless search, found her outside with a large truck.

"I don't even know how she got the thing running in the first place." Sasha beamed at Emily sitting with her back to the wall.

"It won't last long," she replied. "But might be good for a couple of more runs."

"We are going back tomorrow, there is loads more to get" said Sasha. Emily could sense Rick staring at her as Sasha spoke. Meeting his eyes she couldn't discern the look in them. Maybe it was just the shadows of dusk that obscured it. She startled slightly at Daryl's voice, she hadn't noticed him joining them.

"We should all go, just pure luck you didn't get in trouble today."

Sashas smile broadened. "sure."

Rick got to his feet. "settled then", he said and motioned for Daryl to follow him. As the two of them disappeared into the shadows, Emily couldn't help but think that it looked like they were going in the direction of the house she and Max shared.

Max opened the door tentatively. Seeing who it was she paused. "Where is Em?" she whispered.

"She's at Sasha's." said Rick, "may we come in?" Max took a step back, opening the door for them.

As they sat down in the living room, Max remained standing. "you shouldn't be here" she started, but Rick interrupted her. "You started your story, it's time you finished it."

Max looked out of the window, in the distance she could see lights coming from Sasha's house, shadows of people moving there. "Okay", she moved towards them. Looking around her as to find a place to start.

"We left. How is a whole other story. When we met your group, we told you we were here on vacation when the world ended. I'm sure you have gathered by now that that was not exactly true. We were running. We have travelled the world. Never staying long in one place. Always looking over our shoulders. Feeling their breath on our necks. The end of the world was the best thing that ever happened to us. They will never find us now. We are free."

Rick cleared his throat. He looked at Daryl who sat completely still, staring into the wall. "You said you told us this because of Emily?" he said softly. Max gave a weak smile.

"She doesn't trust people easily. Especially men. But she seems to trust you." She was looking at Daryl as she spoke. "We have all noticed the tensions between you two. You bicker and quarrel. Then you are almost friends. Then it starts again. Sasha has got a bet going on how long it will take before you two end up in bed together." Daryl huffed, but didn't speak. "She is not used to feeling close to someone other than me. She is conflicted. She is exhausted, and she is scared. Scared that if she allows herself to count on you, that you will turn out to be a dick, or that you will disappear like Arkady. So she fights it. She taunts you to see what you will do. And she tries to scare you away." Max went to stand in front of him, forcing him to look at her. "I want you to make up your mind. If you want her you have to be strong. Stronger than her. You have to stand firm, show her that you are not going anywhere. That you can face whatever comes at you. If you do not want to, or cannot do that, then please just leave her alone. She is the strongest person I know, but I don't know how much strength she has left. And I don't want her to have to find out."


	2. The Present

They went out with four cars and the truck the next morning. Daryl having begrudgingly left the motorcycle as it provided little in way of transport of goods. Arriving at the warehouse they found the doors wide open. Rick motioned the other cars to back up, and they left them at the side of the road, out of view. He left two people behind, to be getaway drivers if they should need them. Max leaned on the side of the car next to Glenn, and watched the others walk away.

"where are you from anyway?" asked Glenn, as the others disappeared between the trees. Max smiled at him. He had been one of the most welcoming when they first had joined them. One of the easiest to befriend. "All over really," she said, "but I was born in France. Lived there until i was fifteen. Then we moved around."

"That explains the accent." Glenn grinned. "army family?"

"Something like that."

"We're splitting up." Rick whispered. "Daryl, you take Abraham and Emily around on the outside, find the back entrance, the rest of us, we are going through the woods, to the other side to sneak up on the front." Daryl nodded and threw a side glance at Emily. She shouldn't even be here. This was too dangerous for her. He caught himself. He had never had reason to doubt her abilities before. He wasn't even sure if Max was telling the truth. But what reason would she have for making something like that up. He had to act normal so Emily wouldn't notice that he knew something he shouldn't know. Finding himself suddenly unsure of what acting normal actually would entail, he turned, and walked off. He could hear Emily and Abraham following him. Neither said a word. As they emerged from the trees, they saw Rick and his group disappear behind the corner. Daryl led them along the wall, silently taking out the few walkers they met along the way.

"This place is huge." whispered Abraham, as they stopped halfway along the wall. Emily nodded. "There is one large room in the front. Another large one in the middle, and a slightly smaller one in the back. We only blocked the entrance to that, didn't take the time to clear out the whole place."

"What did you block it with?" asked Daryl. She was so close to him. Her big eyes looking up at him, suddenly showing uncertainty. "I don't know", she said. "I was out getting cars. Sasha only told me that they had blocked it off to work faster in the large room." She glanced at the corner where Sasha had disappeared with Rick and the others. There was no sound coming from that side. She expected some sort of reaction from Daryl, a disappointment for her not having made sure she had the information needed before they set out. But he only turned, and led them onwards.

Reaching the end of the building, Daryl peered around the corner. The trees were closer here. A door was in the middle of the back wall. A lonesome walker straggling along the wall. Daryl shot an arrow in its head. "come on", he growled, and walked quickly to pull the arrow free. They reached the door, Abraham pulled at it, as Daryl and Emily stood with weapons raised, ready for whatever might come at them from inside. The door rattled, and opened only an inch.

"It's rusted shut." Abraham said, "Atleast it's not locked."

"Can we break it?" Daryl was looking around him. Emily was listening for sounds from inside. The silence she heard was worse. Abraham went in between the trees nearby and came back with some sturdy branches. "Don't know if it will help, but..." He shrugged and gave one to Emily. Throwing the other branches on the ground, Abraham pulled the door again, and Emily squeezed the branch into the opening. "you put pressure on that," Abraham said, "Daryl and I will pull the door."

The screeching noise of the door made them all jump. It opened slightly more ajar, as Abraham and Daryl pulled with their fingers on the side of the door. "It' going to break", Emily panted right before the branch snatched in two. Abraham and Daryl jumped back. Abraham looked at his fingers and smiled "we get to spend another day together", he said to them. Daryl snorted, and looked over the branches on the ground. "If there were walkers inside, the sound would have attracted them by now." He picked up one of the branches and handed it to Emily. "again", he said.

It was easier to get it in the door now, and slowly it opened more and more, until it was large enough so that Abraham could narrowly slide through. Emily followed him. Daryl surveilled the woods behind them, before following her. "leave the door open", he said, "in case we want to get out quickly."

The room plunged them into intense darkness. As their eyes adjusted they could see shelves. Another storage room. Emily followed the wall around the room and found the door. She had her hand on the handle, listening for sounds from the other side, when she heard Abraham exclaim "what the fuck?". He had lighted his flashlight. Emily followed the light between the shelves and found him and Daryl in the middle of the room. A table stood with four chairs around it. Plates were laid on the table, and cutlery.

"Someone is having a dinner party", Abraham said.

"Nah," Daryl replied, swiping his finger on one of the plates. "dusty, been here a long time."

"I found the door," They turned towards her, and Abraham shone the light directly in her eyes. "For fucks sake," she muttered, and turned around leading them to the interior door.

"Sorry," said Abraham, "it's a nice table though, maybe we should bring it back?"

"Ain't here for tables." said Daryl, lowering his voice as they approached the door.

"Anything?" he asked, and Emily shook her head. The silence from the other side was deafening. Emily turned the lock below the handle, Daryl pushed the door handle down slowly. It produced a small clicking noise, but nothing else. Abraham shone the light on the door and stopped at a sturdy keyhole high up on the door. It was empty. Emily leaned her back against the door.

"Guess Sasha hadn't needed to block it from the other side anyways," he said. "we should go around to them." He strode off through the darkness, his light bouncing as it hit bottles and jars on the shelves.

As the darkness engulfed them, Emily whispered, "why is it so quiet in there?" Daryl shifted. He took a step closer to her, and in the blindness she could smell him. Sweat, dirt and.. him. If she moved her hand only a few inches she could touch him. She stared in front of her at the more solid darkness that was him, and wondered if she should. "Can't hear shit." he said. She realized he had been moving closer to the door to listen. "let's go."

Abrahams light had disappeared. They saw the light from the ajar door fade as he squeezed through. Walking after Daryl through between the shelves in the dark, Emily hit her foot on something. She suppressed a growl. "You ok?" he had turned. "Fine." she said, shaking her foot, before slightly limping forward. "sure?" He sounded concerned. Why shouldn't he be, Emily thought, she could slow them down, jeopardize the whole run because of her clumsiness. "I'll walk it off", she said, and continued past him towards the door. She reached it and was about to slide through the narrow entrance when he grabbed her and pulled her back. A walkers hand shot in towards them. "Fuck me", Emily whispered, staring at the hand grasping for her, inches from her face. Daryl shot an arrow through the slit in the door and the hand slided down to the ground. "maybe later", he said, and she snorted a short laugh. He walked to the door to retrieve his arrow. He put his arm through the opening and pulled out the arrow, when they heard them. Peering out the door, he could see walkers emerging from the trees, loads of them. They were too close. He pulled at the door. Emily appeared at his side, peeking out. When she saw them, she bent down, and tried to shove the walker arm out of the doorway. It flopped right back in. "pull" Daryl hissed. They both pulled hard at the door, as the noise of the approaching walkers grew louder. "the arm", Emily said, but at that same moment Daryl made a massive pull of the door, snapping the arm off, slamming the door shut, and enclosing them again in the dark.

"It's overrun." whispered Carol. She stood at the front door peering in, "too many". Rick, Sasha and Aaron looked in through the dusty windows on the wall to the side of the door.

"Something must have lured them in there." Rick whispered. "Or someone."

"Do you think they have reached through the whole building?" asked Aaron.

"We blocked both doors to the other rooms. First the back room, we didn't even go in there. Then the middle room after we finished there. The walls are thick. Unless someone has been here and removed the blockade, the walkers wouldn't be able to go through to the other areas."

"Is that blood?" Aaron pointed at a long mark along the floor, going towards the back of the room. Rick replied "Someone must have run in there to escape them. Brought them all with them. They are probably one of those ones walking there now."

Carol turned and looked out over the parking lot. It had been empty a minute ago, now she could see several walkers entering it from the forest on the other side. "We should go," she said, alerting the others.

"We'll go round the back", Rick said, "maybe they have had better luck". They moved slowly and along the side of the front, stopping at the corner. Carol grabbed Ricks arm and made him turn. Even more walkers entered the parking lot. They could see more amongst the trees.

"A herd?" Carol whispered. Ricks face went ashen.

The sound of heavy footsteps reached them. They looked around the corner to Abraham emerge from the far end, running towards them.

"Go, go, go", he yelled at them, as walkers spilled out around the corner behind him.

They ran towards the cars, taking out walkers as they went, looking behind them, to see Abraham gaining on them. They reached the cars at the same time, panting, horrified expressions meeting Max and Glenn who were playing tic tac toe with sticks and stones on the ground between the cars. They jumped up, and ran to start two of the cars. The others piled in.

"Drive", barked Rick from the passenger seat next to Max. She looked bewildered at him, but started the car. As she turned it up onto the road she saw the walkers milling at the parking lot and around the warehouse.

"Where is Emily?" she asked as the other car sped off in front of them. "We'll come back for her", Carol said from the back seat. Some of the walkers entered the road behind them and in front of them. "Drive" Rick repeated. So she did.

From the previous silence, the sound of the walkers scratching at the door was like a hurricane. Emily took a step back from the door, still unable to take her eyes off where she knew it was in the darkness.

"Come", Daryl's hand closed gently around her wrist and led her back towards the middle of the room. The noise was slightly dampened here. She sat down on one of the chairs at the table and tried to stop her hands from trembling. She heard Daryl moving away, walking between the shelves, rummaging. She knew the severed arm of the walker still lay right inside the door. With the sounds from outside, she pictured the arm making its way, scraping across the floor towards her. When Daryl sat down on the chair beside her, she almost screamed. He leaned towards the table, and struck a match. He lighted a thick candle he had found and placed it on the table.

"It's okay to be jumpy right now" he said quietly.

"You're doing it again." she replied, not looking at him.

"What?"

"Being nice."

"Sorry"

They sat in silence, listening to the walkers shuffling outside.

"Nah," said Emily, surprising herself, "I'm starting to like it." She heard the words coming out of her mouth. That was not what she had intended to say. That was not even remotely near what she had thought to say. She didn't know what she had thought to say. Her mind blanked. Silence again. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears. The seconds ticking by.

"Em.." he started. She turned to look at him. His features distorted by the candlelight. It cast dancing shadows among the shelves.

"What?" she asked rather more aggressively than she had meant to.

He looked at her for what seemed like an eternity. Stubbornly she stared back. A voice in the back of her head told her that she was too old for staring-competitions.

"There is a whole box of these," he said eventually, nodding towards the candle "we should use them to get an overview of what is in here."

"Okay" Could he hear the disappointment in her voice?

She got up, and immediately sat back down, her injured foot giving out under her.

"Not okay", he said as he stood, and moved to haunch down in front of her.

She jerked as he touched her foot. "What are you doing?"

"Give me the candle", he demanded, as he started to pull her boot off.

"It's nothing," Emily said, "I just stumped it"

"I should hope not," he said and smiled.

"Ah, for fucks sake, I stubbed it, I stubbed my ankle, it's not a big deal, ok?"

"Just give me the candle." She handed it to him, and he placed it on the floor, before pulling her sock off. His hands were warm. Callous and rugged and warm. Gently squeezing her ankle and foot. Emily felt giddy. An urge to lean back and close her eyes fought another urge to let herself laugh as he inadvertently tickled her. She remained stiff in her chair.

"I haven't washed my feet today." She said, just to fill the silence.

"I've seen worse."

Abruptly he stood, bringing the candle back to the table. "You'll survive. Let it rest. No need putting your boot back on yet, unless you wanna go poking that walker arm with your toes." He paused, looking at her with a smirk, "You haven't completely stumped it."

"English isn't my first language", she said defensively, desperately hoping that the trudge through the trees in her leaky boots hadn't left her foot too muddy.

"You're better at it then I am", he said hoarsely, sitting down.

"Being american will do that to you", she speedily retorted, and cringed. Why are you insulting him? the voice at the back of her head hissed.

She didn't really expect a pointy comeback. But she had expected something. He just sat there, looking at her. His eyes burrowing into her, like he could see the back of her skull.

"Sorry", she whispered eventually, quelling the feeling that it made her weak, and that weak was dangerous.

"Since when are you a medic, anyway?" she tried to smile at him.

"My dad was a mean drunk. My brother and I learnt early to tell bruises from more severe injuries." he said, matter of factly.

"Sorry", Emily was unable to think of anything else to say.

"Ain't your fault", he shrugged.

He was looking at her that way again. Like he wanted her to tell him something. Something that he already knew. But she had no idea what that could be.

A light drumming began on the roof. Emily looked up but could only see darkness in different shades. The sound of the rain intensified. It almost drowned out the sound of the walkers.

Daryl leaned forwards. "What's your first language?" he asked. She turned to look at him. "Danish". He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What?"

"Nothing", he said, smirking, "I would not have guessed that, is all."

"What would you have guessed?"

His smile disappeared. "Dunno".

She turned her gaze to the candle, dripping onto the table.

"Shoulda known you were a viking woman", he said, leaning back. "or one of those, .. those valkyries."

"Valkyries decide who lives or dies. I don't have that power." she sighed.

"Viking then." he said.

"Fine."

"Good"

"Okay" She smirked at him. "Don't suppose there is a sword in here for me?" she said jokingly, looking around the room.

"When we get out, I'll get you a sword." he said, his voice serious.

"It was a joke," she looked at him intently.

"I'll get you a sword." he repeated.

The rain washed mud onto the roads. Unrelenting, fat raindrops obscured the view and slowed them down. By the time it took them to walk from the cars to the nearest house in Alexandria, they were all soaked. They milled into the lounge Rick used as his office, Max twisting the water out of her hair.

"Why are we even here?" she demanded as Rick sunk into the chair behind the desk. "We have to go back."

Abraham sat on the sofa, soothing his moustache with his hand. "They are ok. They were still inside when the walkers broke the treeline."

"So let's go get them," Max stared at Rick.

"The walkers will still be there. More numbers than we can handle. And the rain on top of it. It's not even sure that we could get to them." He tried to look reassuringly at Max. "If Abraham says they are safe, then they are safe. We will get them when we can, but I am not risking lives when it isn't necessary."

"Necessary?" Max nearly screamed. Sasha put her arm around her and guided her to the sofa. "They will be fine." she soothed. "If the walkers go away, they have cars waiting for them. They will probably show up here of themselves before long."

Max sat down, keeping her eyes on Rick. "When the rain stops.." she said. "Of course." Rick nodded.


	3. Present perfect tense

**_This chapter is where this story starts to earn its M-rating. If you are under 18, please turn back now._**

3\. Present perfect tense

Falling asleep on the chair was not going to happen. The barrage of rain seemed neverending. Emily dragged her boot back on and hopped back to the door. Candle in one hand, keeping a good distance from the walker arm on the floor. Listening to the sounds from the outside, it was like the rain was competing with the walkers in pounding down the building. But the door was solid, thick steel. The cold metal was reassuringly unmoved by the pressure from outside.

A thud of something being dropped to the floor somewhere behind her, made her turn around and almost fall, grasping at the door for support.

"What the fuck are you doing?" the gruff voice asked from the darkness. "I told you to sit and wait." He moved quickly past her, kicking the walker arm away into the darkness. The air from his movements making the candle flicker and go out.

He stood right in front of her. She could hear im pulling something out of his pocket, and trying to light a match. Emily put her hand over his, stopping him.

"Wait", she whispered.

"Why?" he said, but didn't move his hand. She didn't reply. He could hear her short breaths close to his shoulder. Felt the warmth of her soft hand upon his.

"You okay?" he whispered. Emily nodded. He could only just make it out. "What is it?"

"Nothing", she said eventually, removing her hand. He could hear the smile in her voice, "just wanted you to realize how boring it is to just wait."

"Ain't bored" he said shortly.

"Why?" She asked. She heard a match falling to the floor before his hand came up to her chin like it was looking for her. It caressed her cheek carefully, tentatively. Like he was afraid she would scream or run away. A finger brushed her temple, and without realizing it, she took a step forward and leaned her head on his chest. His hand rested on her cheek and covered her ear. It was as if the rain and the sound of the walkers outside had disappeared. All she could hear was his heartbeat pounding in competition with her own.

Daryl stared into the dark wall over Emily's head, afraid to move, to do anything that might make her step away from him again. He slowly lowered his head, resting his chin on the top of her head. He could smell her hair. Some kind of fruity shampoo from yesterday's loot probably. He had seen a case of it on one of the shelves a little while ago. He held his breath as he felt her arms sneak around him, the sound of the candle hitting the floor, then her hands on his back under his jacket. Small, warm, soft hands. She pulled him even closer, and his hands moved of their own accord. He put one arm around her back, and let the other slide from her cheek into her hair. He cradled her neck and gently massaged it with his thumb. She made alittle sound, an almost inaudible moan, that made heat run all through his body. Then she moved her head and he could feel her looking up at him. Her arms disentangled themselves from around him, and he felt bereaved. But then they were at his chest, moving hesitantly upwards, until they reached his neck. They rested there a moment before her hands came up to his cheek. Soft fingers playing with his stubble. Daryl could feel his hand grabbing a fistful of her hair, but he couldn't stop himself. With a firm grip he guided her head to meet his in the darkness, and kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm. He pressed against them and felt her fingers move through his hair, holding on to his head. The voice in his head telling him to go slow was drowned out by the instinct to get closer to her, closer still. He took a step forwards, pressing her up against the door, and kissed her again, his tongue on her lips, tasting them. They were sweeter than anything he had ever tasted. He heard her take a sharp intake of breath and felt her lips part. As her tongue met his the world started to spin. He put one hand on the wall to steady himself, but she followed him, not letting their lips part. Her fingers pulled at his hair and he pressed his entire body against her, only fleetingly reflecting that she would probably be able to feel the bulk revealing how much he wanted her. She moaned into his mouth, and the sound made synapses of heat spread through him so he could feel them in his toes. He pulled his head away from her to catch his breath, and she leaned against him, breathing heavily, her hands sliding down again, finding their place around his back. He could hear his own ragged breath over hers. He straightened his back and took a deep breath, trying to regain equilibrium.

"We should probably…" He said, not knowing how that sentence was supposed to end.

"Yeah," she whispered, and released her hands around him. As she stepped away from him, he regretted having said anything at all. She slowly walked to pick up the candle. Not finding it at first, she turned to him standing where she left him, and again he could hear the teasing smile in the voice that made his stomach tickle. "Definitely not boring though." He let out a small chuckle, but it sounded more like a grunt. He could hear her turn again, combing the floor till she found the candle. Daryl pulled out the matchbox and lit a match, seeing her in front of him, handing him the candle. He took it and lit it, and followed her back to the table.

"You`re still limping." he said,. "and you put your boot back on."

"Would you rather I have stepped on the walkers arm?" She sat down on the chair and quickly started to pull her boot of, winching as she did so.

"Sorry, I didn't think about your foot before" he said, suddenly unsure.

"You had other things on your mind." The teasing was back in her voice. He was glad that the small flickering light from the candle wasn't enough to reveal his blushing. He put the candle on the table and went to fetch the box, retrieving from it more candles that he lit with the first one, placing them on the floor around the room, and a few more on the table.

"You hungry?" he asked, standing hesitantly, watching the candles on the table.

"Did you find anything?" She looked up at him, the candlelight making her eyes sparkle.

"Be right back," and then he disappeared back into the darkness.

Emily leaned back on the wooden chair, wiggling her toes on the injured foot. Licking her lips she could still taste him on them. His smell was still in her nostrils. Her hands still warm from his body heat. It had been so long since she had been close to someone. She had completely forgotten the explosion of endorphins released by touch. And now that she had felt it, she wanted it again. But he had pulled away first. She wondered if he thought it had all been a mistake, brought on by the darkness, and the possibility that they might die in here. Had she been too forward? Her confidence faded as she thought of the comments she had made afterwards. Why did she always have to be cheeky. It wasn't even intentionally, words just fell out of her mouth. Not generally. Just when she was around him. She needed to regain some self-control. Not make a complete fool of herself. Although, it might be a little too late for that, she thought, considering her ankle. She could se discolored bruises forming on it.

Daryl came back carrying a crate he put down on one of the chairs. From it he pulled items that he put on the table. Cans of tinned fruit, corn, and jars of jam. Packets of jerky and a bag of chips.

"All the major food groups", she smiled at him.

He sat down next to her, reaching for a can of peaches, and opened it. He gave it to her and reached for another. She took a sip of the sticky sirup, and watched as he opened the second can. When his eyes met her she smiled.

"Good?" he asked.

"Thank you", she whispered.

"Ain`t nothing" he replied, throwing the lid onto the table.

"I never tasted proper peaches till I came here." she said, fishing up a piece from her can.

"Canned stuff can't compare." he said, and then he looked up, "No peaches in Denmark?" he took a gulp from his can.

She shrugged. "Not good ones, I guess. Ripe ones." He nodded.

"Not native viking food."

She smiled again. He suddenly felt proud for being the one who had made her smile.

"Here", he leaned forward, a piece of syrupy fruit between his fingers. She looked at him as he brought it up to her lips, his eyes burrowing into hers again. She opened her mouth and he put the fruit into it. She closed her lips, brushing his retreating fingers.

"Supposed to be pear", he said, trying to ignore the pounding of his blood her lips on his fingers seemed to have initiated.

"Pear drowned in sugar", she said after having swallowed it. She fished up a piece of peach and held it between her fingers, looking at him with a half smile. Then she leaned forwards, and put it in his mouth. He closed it quickly, trapping two of her fingers. His eyes were locked on hers as she felt his tongue circle her fingers, stroking them. Then he released them. She let her hand fall down into her lap. She looked at the can in her hand, suddenly afraid to meet his eyes, that he should see the effect he had on her.

"Sorry" he said gruffly, pulling away again. Emily felt despair building in her chest. She had failed to remain composed. And in an attempt to be so again, she had made him feel rejected. Was this all a game? Hot then cold, hot and cold again. But she knew him well enough by now to know he was not one for games. The realization hit her, that she was doing exactly the same thing as him. That if this were to stop she would have to either completely regain all composure, or not give another fuck about it. Not giving a fuck was far too tempting. The world has ended. Her worries had died with it. It was time to let them go. But just thinking it wasn't as difficult as doing it. Living it. The voice at the back of her head chimed to life; fake it till you make it, it said. Emily took a deep breath and stood up. He looked up at her quizzically, and she felt her resolve starting to crumble. But she would not give up. She never gave up. Forcing her to do things she was afraid of was how she had survived for so long. Was how she had become stronger. She took a hobbled step towards him, her ankle not supporting her weight. He grabbed her with one hand to support her, quickly discarding his pear-can on the table with the other.

"Where are you going?" he rasped.

She didn't answer. Didn't trust her own voice. She grabbed his shoulder and swung her leg over him, straddling him on his chair. She heard his breath catch. He remained seated completely still, looking up at her. Her hair falling down on the sides of her face. Her faltering eyes, insecure and determined all at once.

"Hi" she whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"Hi"

Finally he put his arms around her, pulling her into him. Emily put her head on his shoulder and nuzzled the crook of his neck, beard stubbles scratching her cheek.

They sat in silence, listening to the rain drumming on the roof and walkers outside. Daryl had thought Emily was asleep when she moved her head, stroking her nose against his neck. Then she moved it a little more, and he could feel her tongue on his earlobe. It took him by surprise and sent a delightful shiver down his spine. She must have felt it, because she stopped immediately, pulling herself a little away from him.

"Sorry." She whispered.

Daryl put his hands on the sides of her head and pulled her face close to his.

"No more sorrys" he whispered. She looked at him from under thick eyelashes, and he saw a smile appear as she nodded. "deal." she said.

He let his hands slide down until they were resting on her hips. His eyes were watching her face, his expression thoughtful.

"I'm not good at this" he said. A look of surprise flashed across her face.

"You were doing fine before." she said.

"I mean, we should probably talk"

"About what?"

"I'm not good at the talking", he said.

Emily felt her insecurities blush up again, her defence mechanisms firing off.

"Your english really isn't that bad" She chipped. He smirked, but only for a second, then he was serious again.

"You know what I mean."

"How can I know what you mean when you won`t tell me?" Don't start a fight, don't start a fight, the voice in the back of Emily's head sang. He seemed tense, his hands stayed resting on her hips, but his fingers were fiddling with the belt loops on her pants.

"Are you sure you.." his voice trailed off. Emily put her hands on his shoulders, biting her lip as she forced him to look at her.

"Am I sure I what?" she demanded. His eyes fell, looking at the small space between them.

"Are you sure you want me?" he whispered so low she almost thought she heard it wrong. Her heart sank. He wasn't the most confident man to begin with. And what had she done to make him doubt that she liked him. A lot probably. Insulting him, taking jabs, completely uncalled for. Why couldn't he see that she did that because she liked him. Because she wanted him. She just hadn't been tough enough to admit it, not even to herself, before today. She had to be strong now. Be strong for him.

She leaned her forehead against his, pushing his head up to meet her eyes. She looked into his eyes and saw the fear of a wounded animal.

"I'm sure" she said loudly. Firmly. It took a moment for it register. She could see it in his eyes when it shifted. Before she could even blink, his mouth was on hers. She let him in, his tongue delving deep, searching, possessing her. She clung herself closer to him and grasped at his shoulders. His hands slid down to her butt, and abruptly he stood up, lifting her up with him. Emily flung her legs around him, linking them behind his back, holding on around his neck, pushing her breasts against him. He walked to the table, and put her down on it, before he leaned over it and slid all the candles, cutlery, plates and food over to one edge. Some of it crashed to the floor. She grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down to her, demanding his kiss again. When he came up for air, he took a step back and looked at her. Her chest heaving, her mouth half open, eyes begging him to come back. He shrugged out of his jacket and pulled off her remaining boot. Emily quickly discarded her own jacket and pulled her sweater over her head. When her bare feet touched the cold floor she let out a small sound. He grabbed the back of her knees, and tilted her back onto the table. She immediately locked her legs around him, staring up at him from where she lay flat on her back on the table. She reached for him, but he grabbed her arms at the wrists and held them over her head in one of his hands. Emily let out a small delighted squeal. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"You still sure?" but his voice was teasing now. His insecurity gone with the smile on her lips and the small sounds of want she made when she had pressed against him.

"Still sure", she panted, arching her back. His free hand closed around her breast, only hidden by the thin fabrics of tank top and bra. He stroked his thumb back and forth across it, the heat from his hand warming her to the core. He released her arms, needing both hands to caress her breasts, before trailing down towards her stomach. He pulled her top slightly up and touched the skin of her belly. Let his hands run down her sides, and gripping her there. He looked at her with an expression she had never seen on his face before. He signalled for her to stand up, and when she did, he promptly dragged the top off over her head. Emily grabbed his shirt and started to unbutton it, but he pulled that too up, over his head, and threw it on the floor with his jacket. They stood looking at eachother, Emily suddenly self-conscious of the black sports bra she was wearing. She had prepared for a day of running and lifting things, not this. Not that she owned any particularly pretty underwear anymore. He seemed not to notice, just put his hand at the back of her head, pulling her inn for a kiss. She could feel herself wetten as his lips hit hers. He pushed her back towards the table, deepening the kiss. Emily fought the urge to lean into it and disappear. Without breaking the kiss, she twisted her arms around and undid her bra, letting it fall to the floor. Daryl's hands were on her before it hit the ground. He cradled her breasts as he kissed her and pushed her back onto the edge of the table. The he dipped his head down and took one of her nipples in her mouth. It puckered in his mouth, and he swirled his tongue around it while he tilted his head and looked up at her. Emily grasped at his hair, grabbing a fistful of it, her head leaned back, eyes closed. Daryl sucked lightly on the nipple, then moved over to the other. The small noises of pleasure she made made the front of his pants seem far too tight. She removed the need for talking with those noises, they told him exactly what he needed to know, and he wanted to make her make a lot more of them. He gently nibbled her nipple and she opened her eyes. She looked at him as he continued to swirl his tongue around the nipple, and just when she seemed to relax, he nibbled it again. She gave a little laugh and arched herself further towards him, inviting him to do it again. Daryl gripped the edge of the table hard to stay standing. His tongue found her nipple again, swirling lazily around it as his hand slid up her side and rested around her other breast. His thumb and forefinger found the other nipple, and he squeezed it at the same time as he nibbled the first one. She squealed, and for a second he froze, thinking he had hurt her, but her hands grabbed his biceps and she pressed the lower part of her body hard against his. Emily reached for his belt buckle, struggling to undo it. His hands joined hers, opening it for her. As she unbuttoned his pants, he was already pulling hers down her thighs. It fell to the floor, and he leaned on the table, removing his own and his boots and socks. Emily had lain back down on the table, her breath shallow. Daryl hesitated for a moment. His first instinct was to drag her panties off swiftly, but he put his hands on her knees instead, slowly sliding them up her thighs. Emily sat up, reaching for him, her hands sliding up his arms, coming to rest around his neck. Daryl let his hands stay on her hips as he looked into her eyes.

"Still sure?" he whispered, searching her eyes. She kept her eyes locked with his.

"Just fuck me", she breathed.

He quickly pulled his underwear off, and Emily hopped off the table to let him tug hers down. It came down to her lower legs, and she kicked it off as he lifted her off the ground, putting her back on the edge of the table with a hurried kiss. He went on to kiss her neck, his hands sliding all over her body, and she spread her legs and put them around him. She heard him growl into her hair and he grabbed a fistful of it and pulled her mouth back to his. He kissed her hard, pushing her back down onto the table surface, his hands stroking her hips, her thighs. Then they went to the inner thighs. Emily gasped for air, as he stroked closer and closer to the apex. When his fingers found the spot she as already soaking wet. He rubbed her clit gently, listening to the sounds she made against his mouth. He increased the speed slightly, and smiled when she bit onto his lower lip. She pushed herself against his hand, and looked beggingly into his eyes. Daryl let his finger slide further down, and eased it into her. He was not prepared for the sound she made. It was like a combination of a scream and a purr. His hand guided himself into position and the tip touched her entrance. Emily grasped his arms, trying to push herself onto him, but he held her hips firmly in place. He held her down and looked at her squirm with lust.

"For fucks sake" she whimpered.

"Okay, now I believe you", he said, pinning her arms above her head, and slowly beginning to ease himself into her. She was so tight and warm. It was like her entire body had captured him in an incredibly firm hug. He wanted to plunge into her all at once, his free hand grasping the table to control himself as his vision momentarily blurred, and he increased his speed.

Emily arched her back and spread her legs as far as she could. She tried to grab at him, but he held her hands firmly pinned to the table. She felt herself being filled, impossible fullness.

"Wait", she whispered, but he didn't seem to hear her. Just continued to fill her up, bustingly, inevitable.

"Wait", she said again, louder. He stopped. Stood completely frozen.

"It's just.." she tried to catch her breath. "It's been a really long time, sorry, and.. you`re not small." She smiled apologetically. "Pull out and go again"

He stood still for a moment, looking at her face by the flickering candlelight. Then he slowly pulled out of her, and positioned himself at her entrance again. He looked at her again, and Emily nodded.

He put his hand on her clit as he slowly entered her again. Rubbing it in slow circles. Emily moaned, and he slid in a little further. He continued rubbing, alternating circles, and with each moan he received, he entered her a little further. When he was fully settled inside her, he leaned down and put his head over hers. Emily lifted her head, hungry for a kiss, but he kept his mouth just out of reach.

"I thought we agreed, no more sorrys" he said sternly.

She smiled wickedly, as her inside clutched around him, and she saw his eyes glaze over.

"I guess I've been a bad girl, then", she whispered

His lips pressed onto hers, his tongue demanding entrance. As she opened her mouth and slipped her tongue onto his, she felt him retract, and enter her again. He pushed into her again and again, with each stroke a little faster than the last.

He released her hands, and grabbed her breast with one hand, holding onto her hip with the other, as his speed increased. She was sure she would have bruises the next day, but she didn't mind, for when he rapidly pumped into her, she heard his growls grow louder. Emily could feel the tension building up in her. With each stroke his pelvic bone came sliding over her clit. She grabbed at his arms to hang on, and just as he pushed into her again he pinched her nipple. Emily screamed and stretched her back out on the table as she felt her climax crumble the world around her. Dancing stars appeared in the darkness above and she dug her fingernails into Daryl's arms. She barely registered his rasping "fuck", as he sunk down on top of her, panting, sweat covering his forehead.


	4. Conditional progressive tense

**4\. Conditional progressive tense**

Daryl rested his head in the crook of her neck, not believing what had just happened. He lay there for a long time, breathing slowly. It was like the voice in his head telling him that he was a worthless shit was quieted when he was alone with her. He had never imagined himself ending up here, his naked sweaty body over hers. But somehow she had made him forget what he had learnt his whole life, that he was a nobody. He was somebody when he was with her. He cradled his arms around her, ignoring the strain at the back of his legs, and knew that he would always be protective of her. Even more now than before. A possessive feeling burst out, she was his now, and he would never let any other touch her.

Blissfully unaware of what as going through Daryl's mind, Emily lazily let her hands stroke his back. She felt the scars there, but didn't think anything of it, just let her fingers follow a long one along his back. She felt him stiffen, and suddenly he stood up. The cold air rushed onto her, and she wrapped her arms around herself, sitting up on the table.

"What is it?" she mumbled, still finding her footing on the cold floor. He was already dragging his clothes back on.

"Nothin'" he grumbled, sitting on a chair and pulling his boots on.

Emily sat staring at him, not understanding his sudden shift in mood. She didn't know what she had done, and yet she felt a sudden urge to apologize. No more sorrys, he had said. And she wasn't about to apologize for something she didn't even know what was. She opened her mouth to speak, but he got up from the chair, and started gathering her clothes. He threw them over to her.

"Cold in here" he said shortly, and moved away between the shelves.

Emily sat motionless with her clothes in her hands hugging them to her. She could hear him pacing at the far end of the room. Slowly she began dressing. She realized that the rain had stopped. That was why she could hear his pacing so loudly. When she was dressed she pulled her tangled hair back into a ponytail. Not knowing what to do, she started picking up things from the floor, and putting them back on the table. When she had finished, she sat down on the chair, stretching her booted feet out in front of her. The pacing had stopped. It was suddenly strangely quiet, like it had been the first time they entered. He appeared out of nowhere, carrying a crate and set it down.

"What are you doing?" Emily whispered, not trusting her own voice.

"Better prepare the stuff we need to bring with us when we get out," he said, not looking at her. Emily's anger flared up.

"What the fuck is your problem?" She stood up, shaking slightly, keeping her weight off her injured foot.

Daryl kept his eyes on the floor. The voice in his head, Merle's voice, kept telling him that he had fucked up. That he was a fuck up. That he was stupid for thinking that he ever could be anything else. That he was an idiot for thinking that she ever would have anything to do with him. That she would forget about him the second they got out. Better to push her away before she could do the same.

She hobbled towards him, and he wanted to run away. But seeing how unsteady she was on her feet, he grabbed her so she wouldn't fall. She stopped, his arms on her upper arms, an ocean of space between them.

"I.." he started, but was interrupted by a loud banging noise coming from the door.

"You in there?" Rick's voice called. Emily pulled away from him fast, jumping across the floor, coming to a stop holding on to one of the shelves.

"yeah", Daryl called out, "we're here."

* * *

Max dragged a walker out of the way. The space in front of the door was almost clear now. Rick took a step back to make room for Abraham who was ready with a crowbar in his hand. Daryl became very busy moving crates and packing stuff from the shelves. Emily made her way to the door as it started to screech and slowly open by the force applied by Abraham. When it was halfway open Rick stepped in, helping to push the door until it was wide open.

Max rushed in and went straight for Emily, slinging herself at her in a hug, toppeling her over. They both landed on the floor. Max was laughing, and Emily tried to push out a sound. Max got to her feet and dragged Emily up with her, seeing Daryl's angry stare in the corner of her eye.

"I'm so glad you're ok", she whispered as she hugged Emily again.

"Me too", Emily said, returning the hug.

People were milling in, Rick and Abraham helped Daryl get crates of supplies and stacked them up near the door. Sasha helped them after coming over to greet Emily. Soon Rick said

"Enough, we can't carry more in one turn, and we have to come back tomorrow for the rest, it's getting dark."

Emily went to pick up a crate, but Daryl was there before her, picking up two, and heading out the door without looking at her. The others each took a crate and went outside. Rick and Abraham stayed behind a moment to close the door. Emily held on to Max' hand for support as they went over the walkers lying outside the door.

"What happened to your foot?" she asked as they walked behind Daryl and Sasha towards the car.

"Nothing, I just stubbed it on something in the dark", she said loudly, putting emphasis on _stubbed_.

"You're in pain", Max said.

"My foot will be fine." Emily said shortly.

Max looked at her but didn't say anything, just adjusted her grip on the crate in her hands and breathed knowingly. Emily shot her a look, but Max pretended not to notice.

Emily was in the car with Max, the others spread out, bringing as many cars back with them as they could. They left the truck there. As they sped down the deserted highway, Max looked sideways over at Emily. She was staring out the window.

"So are you going to tell me?" she asked softly.

"Nothing to tell," Emily said, watching the trees fly by outside.

"I hugged you, remember?" Max said smiling.

"What?"

"You were sweaty, you smell like him, and.."

"Shut up", Emily snapped.

"Okay", said Max, speeding up, leaving the other cars in their wake.

When they reached Alexandria they couldn't even see the other cars in the rear view mirror. Instead of heading into the walled community, Max drove past, and headed into a nearby neighbourhood.

"Where are we going?" asked Emily.

"Wait for it", Max said, and after a short while, she pulled up to an old yellow two storey house. She drove the car round the side of the house where it couldn't be seen from the house. She got out, and waited for Emily to get to her, before bringing her into the house through the back door. Most of the windows were boarded up. The front door was nailed shut, with large wooden boards across. They came into a dark livingroom.

"Why are we here?" asked Emily, looking around at the dusty furniture. Max locked the backdoor and sat down on a sofa.

"There is something I haven't told you", she said, reaching out her hand to make Emily come sit beside her. Emily sat down and faced her.

"Then let's go home and you can tell me." she said.

Max shook her head. "I'd rather not talk about this inside the walls of Alexandria. Never know who might be listening there." Emily looked at her intently.

"This house," she started, "I've been keeping it stocked, in case we need to leave Alexandria some day. Under the bed in the master bedroom upstairs is a loose floorboard. There are guns under there, and a couple of knives. In the other bedroom, the kid's room, I have hidden food in the closet."

"Why?" Emily blinked.

"If I disappear, look for me here. If you disappear, I will do the same. But no one in Alexandria must know about this place." said Max.

"But, why?" said Emily.

"Just promise me." said Max

"Okay, I promise." said Emily, "But why?"

Max' dark brown eyes looked into Emily's blue. "Someone has been asking about us."

"That's impossible." Emily looked confused. "It's probably just a mix-up"

"The other day," Max said calmly, "when some of the people from the hilltop were here to trade goods, one of them mentioned it to me. A stranger had shown up there. Stayed a couple of days, then disappeared."

"What does that have to do with us?"

"He asked if anyone had seen two women travelling together, one dark with black hair, one blue eyed with brown hair. Apparently he didn't mention any names. The man from the hilltop hadn't thought anything of it, until he saw me and you together in Alexandria. He came over to me before they were leaving. I laughed it off, of course. Hopefully he will already have forgotten about it."

"Did he say what the stranger looked like?" asked Emily. Max shook her head.

"Just that he was scruffy and looked like he had been on the road a while. I didn't dare ask too many questions either."

"Could still be someone else he is looking for. There are a lot of people out there. We can`t be the only ones fitting that description."

"Don't be stupid." Max was getting annoyed. "You know that if you get too comfortable you ignore what is right in front of you. You ignore dangers lurking and you die."

"Just saying," Emily persisted, "I could be nothing."

"Fine. But if it isn`t, we need to be prepared."

"Do you mean, leave Alexandria?"

Max shook her head slowly. "I thought about that. For a long time. We are not safe in Alexandria anymore. But we aren't safe anywhere else either. So for now Alexandria is our best bet. But we need to be prepared that that might change. Therefore," she put out her arms to each side and looked around "this house." Emily nodded. Max continued.

"I was thinking we should have more such houses, scattered around, if we can`t get to this one, or need to keep moving, but I haven't got that far yet. It's hard to get out undetected, or to slip away when we are on runs."

"Actually," Max said, "you are proving to be quite good at slipping away while on runs. Yesterday it was to get cars. Today it was to… whatever it was you were doing."

"I didn't slip away on purpose today" Emily said.

The darkness now shielded her facial expression from Max, but it couldn`t hide the anger in her voice.

"What happened there anyway?" said Max.

"Daryl was just being a prick" said Emily.

"That's not unusual. You don't tend to get so pissed off by that."

"Never mind," Emily sighed, realizing how tired she was. She was not in any mood to tell anyone, not even Max, about what had happened in the back room of the warehouse. She felt guilty for snapping at her friend. The only one who knew some of her secrets. But even though they had been travelling together for a long time, and friends even longer, she never truly trusted Max. Max had a way of twisting situations to suit her own plans. And Emily didn't want to know what her twist on today's events would be.

A hand reached out and stroked her hair. "Let's sleep here." Max said, but Emily protested; "We can't do that. They will be worried about us in Alexandria." Max smiled her sweetest smile, "It's already dark out. It is too dangerous to muck about there now, when you can't even run if we need to. We can go back tomorrow, say we got lost."

Emily's foot was pounding with pain and she didn't resist as Max led her up the stairs to the master bedroom. Max arranged pillows under Emily's foot to keep it elevated, and got into bed next to her.

"My clothes are as dusty as this sheet," Max said, "I will be sneezing all morning tomorrow." Emily tried to smile, but felt her heavy eyelids slide shut. Her last thought was of Daryl, and she wondered if he would even care that they were gone.

* * *

Driving into Alexandria, Daryl couldn't see Max and Emily`s car anywhere. He was furious with Max for speeding off like that, the roads weren't safe, and they were supposed to stay with the group. He had to tried to catch up with them but he had to go past the other cars, he had taken the last car on purpose, and by the time he was in front, they were gone. He figured they were all going to the same place, so there really was no reason to piss off Rick, or to make a massive fool of himself. But as the gates of Alexandria closed behind them, and they got out of their cars, they realized that Max and Emily wasn't there.

"Where is Max and Emily, I don't see their car?" asked Rick as he reached Daryl who was staring at the closed gate. "Dunno." said Daryl. Sasha and Abraham joined them.

"Anyone come in before us?" Rick yelled up to the watchtower, where Rosita stood. She just shook her head and looked down on them. Daryl stalked off. Rick ran after him.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Getting my bike." Daryl grumbled.

"You are not going out there," Rick put a hand on his shoulder to slow him down, but Daryl shrugged it off and continued. "It`s dark," Rick ran after him again, stopping right infront him Daryl. "I`m going to instruct the gatekeepers not to open the gate for you, you are not going out."

"I am", said Daryl and tried to move past, but Rick blocked his way again.

"If they had crashed, we would have seen them on the road here." Rick said. "They are probably fine. Max goes out alone sometimes when she thinks nobody is paying attention." Daryl stopped. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she is like you, gets claustrophobic being cooped up behind these walls all the time. She can handle herself, and so can Emily. They probably just took a wrong turn, and decided not to go on the dark, found somewhere to stay…" Rick could se Daryl relax a tiny bit. "Tomorrow morning we go look for them," Rick said, thinking he had won. "I'm going now" said Daryl, and pushed past him.

He got his bike from Aaron's garage, and was relieved when the gates opened in front of him. "Bring them back, yeah?" called Rosita to him, he didn't reply, only started the engine, and drove off. He was quite a way out when what she had said finally sunk in. Bring them back. Them. How was he going to bring the both of the back on his motorcycle. He realized he hadn't been thinking about Max at all. His only thoughts were of Emily. Making sure she was okay. Bringing her back to the safety of Alexandria so he could yell at her for going off and making him worried. He swerved when a shadow materialized in the road in front of him. A walker reached out to him, but he was past it before it could get close enough. He cursed himself for losing focus and trained his eyes on the thickening darkness in front of him. After a round in the neighbouring areas, and far too many close calls, he had to give up. This was suicidal, even for him. He got back to Alexandria, exhausted from the concentration, and called for them to open the gates. They opened only just enough for him to ride through, then shut again, and he heard them put the locks on for the night. He was locked in. Emily and Max were locked out. He put the motorcycle back in the garage and found Rick waiting for him outside the house they both lived in.

"I'm glad you came back okay", he said, his eyes stern.

"Stupid being out there now," Daryl growled.

"Yes," Rick said slowly, "so why were you?"

"Guess I'm stupid." said Daryl, moving past him and going inside.


	5. Reciprocal pronoun

**5\. Reciprocal pronoun**

The morning boasted a large red sun. Emily could feel it through her eyelids before she opened them. She got up and walked quietly across the floor not to wake Max up. It wasn't until she had closed the bedroom door behind her that she noticed that her foot didn't hurt as much, and it didn't try to give out under her. Sleeping was the best medicine. Although the memory of her dreams worried her as she slowly made her way down the stairs, treading carefully as to not challenge her foot. She had dreamt about _him_. She hadn't done that in a long time. Not since before they got to Alexandria. She couldn't let Max' words get to her. She could feel them eating into her brain, making her worried, even though it was probably nothing to be worried about. Everyone from their past would be long dead by now. Long dead, or far away, or both. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she heard a motorcycle drive by outside. She walked over the boarded up window in the hall and peeked out between the wooden boards. The road outside was empty, and in the driveway a single walker was shuffling out, going after the disappearing sound of the motorcycle in the distance.

Max was coming down the stairs. Emily turned and looked at her as she gathered their things. "You ready to go?" she said.

Emily nodded, and made her way across, meeting Max at the back door. "I see you foot is better today," Max beamed at her. "Yeah", said Emily, hand on her knife as she opened the door and peered out. Two walkers were in the backyard, Emily moved towards them, but Max held her back. "Let them be. Dead walkers in the garden makes the house look inhabited." They walked quickly to the car, and drove off just as the walkers reached their tail lights. Max pulled out into the road, and set down the street towards Alexandria. Before they had gotten long, Emily could hear the roar of a motorcycle coming up behind them. She turned to se Daryl tailing their car.

"Maybe we should pull over." she said to Max. Max was looking in the rear view mirror. "Nah" she said, "he's pissed, you probably want to be in Alexandria with loads of people around when he catches up with us."

Emily looked back at Daryl again. She could see he was rigid, not his usual relaxed pose on the bike. His eyes were narrow slits, staring right in front at them.

"Don't say a word about the house." Max reminded her. "We got lost, it was dark, we slept in the car, that's the story and we are sticking to it, okay?" She looked over at Emily. Emily was looking at the side mirror, Daryl had come up on the side of the car. Their eyes met for a second before he had to swerve to avoid a branch in the road. He fell back in line behind their car.

"Okay?" said Max again, annoyed. "Okay" Emily said, her voice low and hesitant.

"Don't you dare fuck this up", Max hissed, as she pulled up in front of Alexandria's gates.

The gates rolled closed behind them, and the car came to a stop. Max quickly got out, and Emily could see her greeting Sasha up in the watchtower. Emily reached for the door handle, but the door was ripped open before she could reach it.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Daryl yelled down to her, holding the door, but blocking her exit.

"Out", she said, and pushed him aside so she could get out of the car. She started to walk down the paved road in between the houses. She could hear him following her. She sped up, but he was getting closer behind her.

"Out where?" his rasping voice in her ear. She turned around, facing him, and stopped herself from taking a step back when she realized how close he was.

Images of the day before flashed before her eyes. Tangled bodies on the table. Why did he have to be so hot when he was angry. She fought the urge to reach out and touch him. He was being an ass. So there was no way she would be backing down either.

"Why do you care?" She spat back at him. She could see him being taken aback by her answer, and regretted it instantly. She was fumbling for words when he spoke.

"I don't" he growled, and stalked off.

Emily stood, watching him walk away, and feeling her anger fading away. She was already feeling guilty for running away with Max, leaving the others to worry about them. She knew that if he really didn't care, then he wouldn't be angry. And therefore his anger pleased her. It made her feel like a total bitch to be happy about it. She looked back to where they had parked the car, and saw Max talking to Rick. They were standing close, like they were sharing secrets. Emily turned around and walked to her house.

* * *

Rick had seen Daryl going after Emily, and hurried over to Max. He cornered her by the car, and shot a lookup to see that Sasha were busy keeping watch in the watchtower and not listening in.

"Where did you go last night?" He asked.

Max had an innocent look on her face, and started apologizing.

"It was all my fault. I took a wrong turn. I was so worried about Emily, and I just wanted to get her home quickly. Before I knew it we were lost in the dark, and I figured that it was best to just stop and wait till morning, so that my frazzled nerves wouldn't get us into any more trouble." Max looked embarrassed. Rick nodded. Max had always seemed so calm and in control, but he knew that she was worried about Emily, even though he wasn't sure he understood exactly why. Everyone in Alexandria had a past. And Emily didn't seem like she was going to break any time soon. "Probably a good call stopping for the night", he said. Max smiled her sweetest smile at him and stretched her arms over her head. "Cramped in the car all night", she said. Rick just nodded again.

* * *

As Rick entered the house he shared with Daryl, Michonne, Carol, Carl and Judith, he met Daryl in the hall, on his way out.

"You okay?" he asked.

The only reply he got was a curt nod. Daryl wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Max told me they got lost. Slept in the car."

"She lied." said Daryl gruffly.

"Why do you say that?"

"I saw them come out of a driveway this morning. They were in one of the houses in the village not far from here."

"Why would she lie about something like that?" Asked Rick.

Daryl dragged his hand over his face, looking suddenly tired and weary.

"I'm goin' to check it out."

"Wait," said Rick, as Daryl moved to go past him. "What happened to your arms?"

"Nothin'" Rick looked at him, was he blushing?

"Those scratches… did you get near any walkers when you were out last night?" "You you be sick, you should let Denise look at .."

"Ain't from no walker." Daryl growled.

"Then who.." Rick's voice faded as he saw the look in Daryl's eyes. "Yesterday, at the warehouse.." Rick started again. "What happened? Is that why Max and Emily left? Did you do something to..?"

"You think I hurt her" Daryl's voice was stone cold.

"No," said Rick, "of course not, but it would help if you would just tell me what.."

Daryl pushed past him, and slammed the door behind him. Rick heard the motorcycle's engine roar to life, and saw out the window as Daryl sped off.

Emily brushed dirt of her hands. Her back ached after helping Maggie in the vegetable garden all day. The sun was low in the sky, and she, Maggie, Carol and a couple of others finished up clearing away their tools.

"You're coming over to ours for dinner tonight, right?" asked Carol as she and Emily walked back towards the houses, lagging behind the others.

"Uhmm.. I don't know if that is a good idea", said Emily.

"Of course it is, i already asked Max, and she said yes."

"I don't think Daryl will want me to come." Emily said, lowering her voice, so that Maggie and the others walking infront of them wouldn't hear

"Why not?" asked Carol, her face expressionless.

"He's a bit pissed at me at the moment, is all." said Emily.

"Because you scratched him?" Carol said bluntly, giving Emily a look bursting with suppressed laughter.

"What the?" Emily stopped, "he told you?" Carol shook her head.

"I overhear things." she said smiling. Emily stopped walking, and Carol turned to look at her.

"I don't know why he's pissed" she confessed. Suddenly needing to air out her troubles, and wondering why she would do so to Carol, and not Max.

"Everything was fine and then … they weren't"

Carol nodded. "Maybe you shouldn't come. Give me a chance to talk to him."

"No," said Emily, "I'll stay away, but don't say anything. He can sort this out himself if he wants to."

"If you say so." Carol shrugged and walked off.

* * *

The hot water in the shower was divine. Emily wondered how she ever lived without it. She shampooed her hair with the new fruity shampoo they got from the warehouse. All the women in Alexandria were using it now. She studied the bottle for a moment. A bright lush peach. Damn peaches. She threw the bottle across the bathroom, so that it made a dent in the bathroom floor, shampoo spilling out on the floor. She finished her shower quickly, and stepped over the mess to grab a towel. Wrapping it around her she went into her bedroom, giving herself a mental reminder to clean it up before Max got back. Sitting on the bed she felt more tired than she had after being out on a long run. She dropped the towel on the floor and got under the covers. Just a little nap, then I'll get up and clean the bathroom and make some dinner, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep.

She awoke with a start. The door of her bedroom had swung open, smashing against the wall. Emily pulled her covers up to her chin and reached for the knife she usually kept under her pillow. It wasn't there. She had left it in her clothes in the bathroom. The room was dark, she must have been asleep for quite a while. She scooted herself slowly towards the other side of the bed furthest from the door, trying to discern the shadow standing in the doorway. The light from the hall was dim, and coming from behind him. Emily slowly reached out her hand to grab the lamp on the nightstand, to use as a weapon. As the shadow moved again she could tell it was him. He took a step into the room and shut the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"We're gonna' talk" Daryl said gruffly.

"I'm busy." Emily retorted,

"I found your hideout."

"This is my room."

"I found the house you and Max hid in."

Emilys heart skipped a beat. Of course he had found it. He must have seen them driving out, and waited for a bit before following them. He took another step into the room. Emily waited. Not knowing what to say, and afraid that if she opened her mouth she would say too much and betray Max' trust.

"Why?" he said, and she heard that he had moved around soundlessly around the bed to her side. Emily realized her hand was still around the lamp. She released her fingers, and let it go.

"It's just a house," she said shakily, "what's the big deal? Don't you keep different places handy in case something happens and you can't reach back here?"

"Not with guns hidden in every room" he said. Emily blinked. Glad of the darkness, so that he couldn't see the surprised look on her face. Damn Max. What else had she not told her about?

"All but one exit boarded up. All the windows on the ground floor boarded up." He walked closer still. Emily sat up, hugging her covers. Daryl leaned forward, and clicked on the lamp she had just let go of.

"What are you planning?" his voice was calm, but she could sense the anger radiating from him.

"I'm not planning anything."

"Bullshit", he spat the word out.

Emily got up, still clutching the covers, and stood right infront of him.

"Why are you so pissed at me anyway?" she said. He didn't answer. He stared at her bare shoulders, and arms holding the covers infront of her.

"You wanted to talk. Talk. Tell me what I did wrong." Emily fought back the tears threatening to push out of her eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong." he finally said.

"I must have done something to piss you off." Emily pushed.

"It wasn't you." He looked at his feet.

"There was no one else there." He heard her voice crack and looked up. Daryl studied her tense jaw, the battleready look in her eyes, betrayed by the blank shimmer of water in the corner of them.

"Tell me about the house first."

Emily sighed. "It's just a house, there is no plan." she said.

"Then why the house?"

"I don't know," she didn't look at him. She wasn't the best liar, never had been. But she could keep secrets. She did that best by shutting up. Somehow when Daryl was around, words just fell out of her mouth, that wasn't supposed to come out.

"Max…" She stopped herself, not knowing how to phrase things in a way that would both make him let the subject go, and at the same time, not betray Max.

"Max what?"

"She had it a long time. Maybe at first when we came here, she wasn't sure if Rick would let us stay. Maybe she wasn't sure if we wanted to stay. I didn't even know it was there until she took me there yesterday. I didn't know about all of the guns."

"If it's just a house, why did she lie to Rick about you two sleeping in the car?"

Emily sat down on the bed. "Maybe she just needs somewhere to go to be alone sometimes?" Emily could tell he didn't believe her.

"Don't need that many guns to be alone." He said. His voice still stern, but not as cold as it was before. He sat down on the bed beside her.

"I don't know what the deal with the guns is." Emily said, finally looking into his eyes so that he could see she was telling the truth. "She only told me about some of them, I didn't know there were many."

"Where did she get them?"

"She probably had them before. How should I know. She doesn't tell me everything."

She could sense him relax a little. He leaned his hand on the bed to support himself.

"I thought you two were pretty close?" he said, studying her face to catch any covert reaction.

"Why don't you ask her about it then?"

"I will." he said, "wanted to hear it from you first."

"I don't know what you want to hear." Emily picked at the covers splayed over her knees.

"The truth." he said simply.

"Yes, 'cause fucking me and then going weird and refusing to tell me why, and yelling at me in public and ambushing me in my room, it all really creates the right atmosphere for confidentiality." she blurted out, almost stumbling over the words.

He tensed. Staring right infront of him, at the dark windows behind thin curtains. "Sorry", he said.

"No," screamed Emily, not knowing if she was more pissed off at herself or him. "No more fucking sorry's, just tell me or get the fuck out."

He didn't move. The silence in the room pressed down upon Emily, and she wondered if she had become momentarily deaf. It took a long time before he spoke again.

"It's stupid." he said, and she recognized the look of the wounded animal she had seen in the warehouse.

"I don't care how stupid it is." her voice softening slightly. "It was an asshole thing to do."

"I know"

"So why then?"

"You deserve better than an asshole." he said quietly.

"So don't be one." They were both staring out the window, avoiding looking at each other.

"Why did you do it?" he said finally.

"How can I know if you won't tell me what i did." Emily was getting exasperated.

"I mean, why did you fuck me?" he said. She turned her head and stared at him in disbelief.

"I fucked you, because I wanted to fuck you. I thought …" she closed her mouth, remembering the last moments on the table, her fingers on his back, trailing his scars.

"fuck", she mumbled. How could she not have realized before. The wounded animal that sometimes appeared in his eyes. The mean drunk father. The scars. The rough front hiding insecurities of magnitudes she had never considered.

"Are you and Max planning to leave? Is that what the house is for?"

"No," said Emily firmly, "We're not going anywhere." He nodded slightly.

"It's about the scars your back?" she whispered. He nodded again, not looking at her.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you. The scars. Your dad, and all of that." she said,"But just tell me, instead of going apeshit. That was not cool. Next time just tell me what's going on, for fucks sake"

"Don't want your pity", he snapped and got up to stand at the window. He pulled the curtains apart and stared into the darkness. Then he realized what she had said. He didn't turn to look at her. "Next time?" his voice was gravelly.

"Yeah." Emily "If you stop being an asshole." she got to her feet and went to stand beside him.

"I'm sorry." he said, looking into her eyes, and she could tell he meant it.

"That no sorry rule is freaking difficult." she smiled, and let the covers fall to the floor.

Daryl stared at her face, unmoving. She started to wonder if she had misread him completely, and bent down to pick up the covers.

"Wait", he whispered. Emily let the covers be, and straightened up again. Daryl quickly pulled the curtains closed again. Then he let his eyes wander down her body, slowly, like he was memorizing it. She could hear his breathing going faster, and her nipples perked with anticipation. Slowly she reached up and touched one of them, circling it with her finger, all the while keeping her eyes on him. His gaze was transfixed on her hand on her breast. Emily let her other hand glide through her hair, ruffling it, still damp from the shower earlier. She left her nipple alone, and started combing through her hair with her fingers, her breasts moving slightly with every move of her arms. She finished with the hair, and when he still hadn't moved, she considered asking him whether he was going to touch her or not. Even considering it, not just blurting it out, was progress. So she decided to not say anything. Instead she moved closer to him, and put her hands on his shoulders. He leaned into her, resting his forehead on hers, and looking into her eyes.

"I won't touch your scars if you don't want me to", she whispered.

"I still don't get it", he whispered.

"Get what?"

"Why would you want to?"

"'cause they are your scars." she said, and he looked confused. "I want to be close to you, and they are part of you."

"Why?" he whispered, while his hands slid around her waist and pulled her even closer.

"Because I need to."


	6. Present Participle

6\. Present Participle

Footsteps coming up the stairs made take a step back. Emily quickly turned the light off. then she picked up the covers from the floor, and threw them on the bed, getting in under them at the same time.

"Get in here", she hissed. Daryl looked at her, amused, but obeyed.

The footsteps slowed down outside the door. Emily pulled the covers up to cover them both, and stuck her head out. She could feel Daryl slightly shaking with laughter, and she grabbed his hand just as the door opened.

"Em?" Max voice was soft, "You awake?" Emily didn't answered, just lay completely still, waiting for Max to go away. But she didn't go, instead she took another step into the room, leaving the door open behind her.

"Em, we need to talk" she said. Emily realized that pretending to be asleep wouldn't work. If Max wanted something, she could be persistent, and Emily didn't want Max to jump into the bed to wake her up, as she sometimes did for a laugh.

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?" Emily tried to make her voice sound sleepy.

"No," Max came forwards, and sat down on the edge bed. Emily pulled her pillow towards her, and sat up slightly, leaning on it.

"Just let me get dressed then, and we can go downstairs." Max looked at her, and Emily faked a yawn.

"I think Daryl saw us coming out of the house." Max said. "Rick was giving me these weird looks all through dinner tonight."

Emily felt her insides freeze at the same time as Daryl's hand gripped firmly on hers. She could tell he wanted her to keep the conversation going, but Emily had to get Max to leave before she said something that he should not hear.

"You're just paranoid", said Emily, gripping Daryl's hand back just as tightly. "Go to sleep, tomorrow you will think you were just being silly."

Max gave her a stern look in the dim light coming from the hallway. "You know it's not as simple as that." she sighed. "Rick said that some people are going to the Hilltop tomorrow. I want you to go with them. Find out if he's been back there."

"I can't just invite myself along," said Emily, grateful that Max was on her side of the bed, and the other side was still in shadows.

"Of course you can, you can sweet talk yourself into any party." Max laughed. "I can't go. It will easily remembered if I go there asking questions about the same thing I talked to them about when they were here last."

Emily wondered if Daryl was getting enough air, hidden completely under the covers. But his grip on her hand was as firm as before. Maybe he couldn't really hear what Max was saying under there.

"They are leaving early," said Max, "so don't you dare oversleep." Emily just nodded. "Fine." she said, hearing herself sound like a teenager annoyed with her parents.

"Has Daryl said anything to you?" asked Max.

"About what?" Emily tried to look innocent.

"The house. He was out for a long time today, If he saw us leaving, he has probably been there."

"He's pissed at me." said Emily, avoiding the question. She could feel Daryl finger stroking her thumb.

"Let's just hope it stays that way." said Max, "I'm still waiting for you to tell me what happened in the warehouse to make you both so pissed off when you came out."

When Emily didn't answer, Max stood up and walked to the door. "If he asks you about the house," she said, stopping in the doorway. "Then we leave."

Emily stared at her. The stroking of her thumb stopped.

"Why?" said Emily.

"You know why." Max retorted, almost angrily. "You are the one who gives too much of a shit about these people. Worrying that they might get worried if we don't come back for one night, for fucks sake. You're getting in too deep, Em. You've gotten too comfortable here. We can't just sit around and wait till this blows up in our faces." Max walked back into the room. Emily wanted to sit up, and tell her to get out, but she didn't dare move in case she would pull the covers and reveal Daryl.

"They are our friends," said Emily, "maybe if we told them, they would.." Max snorted. "For fucks sake, listen to yourself. You want to drag them into this? I tried that."

"What do you mean?" Emily scooted herself slightly more upright.

"I told Rick and Daryl to go easy on you, because you had been through some shit." Emily wrung her hand free under the covers, and put both of her hands on the top of the covers. Max paced the room, droning on; "What did they do? Nothing? Daryl still pissing about. Rick pretending everything is fine. I tested them. To see if they would give a shit, even help us when that time comes. I even told them about Arkady and Alex. We're not gonna get any kind of assistance from Alexandria when we need it, Em. You have to realize, they don't give a shit about us. So you can't give a shit about them."

Emily felt Daryl go rigid beside her. She blinked, trying to find the words to calm Max down enough to make her leave, so that she could get Daryl out of the room. There were just too many people in here.

"It could still just be a misunderstanding." she said. Wrong words. Max snapped her head towards her, staring at her.

"I know what I heard." she hissed, "Wake up, Em. They are coming, and we have to be ready." Emily didn't answer. She sat staring at Max, until Max got tired of staring back at her, huffed, and walked out of the door, slamming the door loudly behind her.

As the door slammed shut, Daryl moved the covers off his head, and sat up. He looked at Emily, but she stared at the door. They heard the door to Max' room close. "I should get dressed." she whispered, and got out of bed and walked over to her closet. She started pulling on clothes, seemingly at random. When she was done, she turned around, seeing Daryl standing as a shadow by the window.

"You should go." Emily said as calmly as she could. She heard movement, and the light from the lamp on the nightstand came back on. "Ain't goin' nowhere" he said. His voice was soft and rasping at the same time.

"When did she tell you?" Emily heard her voice faltering again.

"Doesn't matter" he said.

"When?" Emily searched his face. "Was it before…?"

"Doesn't matter." he said again.

"It does."

"Why?"

"That's why you started being weirdly nice, isn't it?"

"Nothin' to do with that." he said.

"Liar" she spat.

"Who's coming?" He asked.

"Doesn't matter." Emily shrugged and turned around, closing the closet door. He moved soundlessly, and she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"Ain't nobody gonna mess with my viking woman." he whispered in her ear.

Rick tied the trashbag closed and lifted it out of the bin. Carol was clearing away the washing up. Michonne stomped up the stairs. As the sound of her steps faded, Carol walked over to Rick and said, "So Max is up to something?" Rick looked at her startled, seeing the knowing look in her eyes.

"Why do you say that?"

"You two were doing the weirdest avoiding to look at each other, and then covertly staring- thing tonight." said Carol. "Watch out, or Michonne might get jealous," she laughed.

"She is up to something. Daryl suspects her of something, but he won't tell me what." said Rick. Carols face grew serious. "Should we be worried?" she said.

"I don't really think so," Rick replied, "But I hate not knowing."

"I'll see what I can find out." said Carol. Rick nodded and went out to dispose of the trash bag.

Outside the moon had disappeared behind thick clouds, and the darkness was splintered by scattered lights coming from the house, and one of the neighbouring houses. He looked up to see light from an upstairs window. A shadow moved past the window and disappeared. Rick turned to go back inside, to his warm bed and to Michonne who could make all his troubles subside from his mind. His hand was on the door when a small sound made him turn around. He could see nothing out of the ordinary. Probably just some leaves blowing in the grass. Yet he took a step to the side, and walked around the house, just to check anyway. He had reached the back of the house where Daryls bike was parked, when he saw movement over by the wall. He walked silently towards the shadow, slowly moving under the large tree at the back of the lawn. Rick stopped abruptly when he recognized it. It was a walker. In Alexandria. He moved towards it, quickly stabbing it in the head with his knife. He looked at the face on the ground. It wasn't one of the Alexandrians. How could a walker from outside suddenly appear inside the walls? He turned around and quickly went back to the house. He ran up the stairs and knocked on a door. Michonne stuck her head out, still dressed.

"What?" she said, seeing his serious face, as he moved on, knocking on Daryl's door. "Walker outside the house. It's come in from outside the wall. There is a breach somewhere." Rick said hurriedly, pounding his fist on Daryl's door again when no one opened. He hesitated for a second, before opening the door. The room was empty. Carol came up the stairs, going past them, and into her own room, "got enough ammo?" she yelled back at them.

"Yeah," said Rick, as he and Michonne moved towards the stairs. Carol was right behind them, shoving ammo into her pocket, and loading her gun.

"Let's try to keep this quiet." said Rick. "No need to wake the neighbours just yet."

"Daryl went out after dinner," said Carol, holstering her gun, and checking her knife as they reached the end of the stairs.

"He is somewhere in Alexandria," said Rick, "his bike is still out back."

"Emily" said Carol.

A loud knock on the door downstairs made Emily jump. She disentangled herself from Daryl arms and walked over to the door.

"Wait", he whispered, and a second later they could hear the door to Max' room open, and her steps going down the stairs. Emily opened her door ajar and peeked out. She could hear the pounding on the front door again, and Max' low curses and she stepped off the stairs and onto the floor. Emily walked halfway down the stairs, listening. Daryl followed close behind her. The door opened and she heard Rick's voice.

"Sorry to wake you. Could you tell Daryl we need him out here, please?"

"He's not here," Max' soft voice answered. Emily saw Daryl disappear back into her room, and she walked the rest of the way down the stairs.

"What's going on?" she said, yawning. Max turned to her, with an ice cold stare.

"Where is Daryl?" said Rick. Emily shrugged. Rick opened his mouth to speak again, but the sound of a thud coming from somewhere outside distracted him.

"Sorry to bother you," he mumbled, and disappeared outside. Max slammed the door shut and turned to Emily. "What was that about?" she hissed.

"How should I know?" said Emily, quickly turning and going back upstairs. She slowed her pace when she heard Max was following her. She reached her door, Max trailing behind her.

"Is he in there?" she whispered, and Emily was almost scared by the murderous look in her eyes.

"Go to bed", she said, but Max shoved past her, throwing the door to Emily's bedroom wide open, stepped in and turned on the ceiling light. She looked around the room. Then she turned and stalked out, slamming the door to her own bedroom behind her.

Emily walked into her room and gently shut the door behind her. She looked around. It was empty. She opened the door to the bathroom, but there was no one in there either. Then she noticed a small breeze. It was coming from the window. She went over to it, and saw that it was slightly open. She pushed it open, and leaned out. The bushes underneath were crumpled. She saw Rick moving further away from the house, and closed the window.

* * *

Rick looked around the small lawn at the back of Max and Emily's house, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He rounded the corner of the house, and met Daryl.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he whispered. Daryl nodded up towards the house,

"Tell ya later," he said, "What's goin' on?"

"I found a walker inside the walls. Not one of us." Rick said, "Carol and Michonne and canvasing the wall to the east, I thought we should go round the other way, meet them halfway." Daryl only nodded and started to walk. He stopped abruptly. "Lemme get my crossbow," he said, and ran towards the house where he had left it in his own room. Rick followed him. As Daryl came out from his room fully armed, Rick waited for him at the stairs.

"You ever gonna' tell me what's going on over there?" he asked, indicating in the direction of Max and Emily's house.

"Later," said Daryl and walked out the door. They reached the spot where Rick had killed the walker behind their house. Daryl studied it in the dim light of Rick's flashlight. "You're right, ain't one of ours." he said. They started walking to the wall, and turned to follow it east. They past Maggie's vegetable garden in the dark. At the end of it they saw a figure standing, swaying. Daryl stepped silently closer to it. It was like the figure sensed him, and turned towards him, staggering forward. It received an arrow in its skull. Daryl pulled the arrow free and wiped it on his shirt.

"Probably not a large breach then," said Rick, as they moved on, "since they are not in packs." Daryl nodded.

They continued along the wall, scanning the area for more walkers. Rick walked ahead when Daryl said, "here". He was crouching by a large tree which leant against the wall. By the tree there was a hole in the wall, quite low down, only large enough for one man to pass through at a time.

"Fuck", whispered Rick when he saw it. "This wasn't made to let walker's in. Someone made it to go in and out themselves."

"It's made from the outside", said Daryl, considering the debris and splintered wood lying on their side of the wall. There was signs that there had been a cover over the hole, that was now in pieces.

"Guard it, I'll be back with something to close it up with." said Rick, and ran into the darkness. Daryl looked out at Alexandria. Nothing was moving. He could see the top of Max and Emily's house. There was a small light. He knew Emily's window wasn't visible from this angle. It had to be Max. He crouched down again and peered through the hole. Then he got down on his knees and crawled out through it. It came out on a field, a few yards away a small forrest stood, and he knew the road that went through it lead to the village where Max's secret house was. A walker stumbled across the field, and he shot it at a distance, before he walked over and retrieved his arrow. Returning through the hole, he saw Rick, Carol and Michonne coming towards him, carrying planks and wood.

They boarded up the hole as best they could. "Max did this." hissed Daryl in Rick's ear when they were done.

"Hold on," said Rick, "you need to explain this."

"She's planning something." Daryl looked towards the house. "She's got a house full of guns one village over." he pointed in the direction of the village through the wall.

"There are guns missing from the armory," said Carol, coming up behind them. "just a few every now and then, so we didn't raise any alarm. But over the last couple of months, it's about 11 total. And ammo."

Rick stared from her to Daryl and back again. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" he yelled to both of them. Michonne put her hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home and discuss this. Not wake up the whole neighbourhood." Rick gumbled, but followed her as she lead the way back to their house. Daryl and Carol walked behind them.

"Is Emily in on this?" whispered Carol. Daryl shook his head, "she knows somethin'," he answered, "but.." he paused as they passed Max and Emily's house. "she didn't do this." Carol didn't answer. Rick waited for them at the door to their house and held it open for them as they entered. They gathered in the livingroom.


End file.
